Highlights

The National Human Genome Research Institute's Division of Intramural Research will present the 14th Jeffrey M. Trent Lecture in Cancer Research on March 15, 2018, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., at the Lipsett Amphitheater, Building 10 (Clinical Center), on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bethesda campus. Joan Brugge, Ph.D., co-director, Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School, will deliver the lecture Role of the TRPA1 Ca2+-permeable Channel in Oxidative Stress Defenses in Cancer.

Antibiotic-resistant organisms can be found on hospital countertops, doorknobs, computers, sinks and even inside the plumbing. Investigators at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently conducted whole genome sequencing on samples from pipes beneath the NIH Clinical Center. The majority of samples from pipes and sewers tested positive for bacterial plasmids that confer resistance to carbapenems, the "last-resort" antibiotics given to hospital patients who develop infections from pathogens that are multidrug-resistant. The study was published Feb. 6, 2018 in mBio.

Many Americans love all-you-can-eat buffets but how do they choose what to eat? Using a virtual reality (VR) buffet, NHGRI researchers studied the hundreds of micro-decisions mothers make while selecting food for their children to better understand the mechanism through which some made healthier choices. Eventually, researchers may be able to design better interventions to improve people's food choice behavior and "nudge" people toward more healthy choices.

The cost of sequencing a person's genome has fallen has fallen considerably in the past 25 years. However, the cost of communicating genome results to patients is still sky-high, relying as it does on one-on-one counseling. In a new study, National Human Genome Research Institute researchers determined that sharing some types of genomic results online works well and could reduce health care costs. The next research question? Finding those for whom online sharing of genomic results doesn't work and ensuring they get in-person services.